Japanese street food occur mostly during the many festivals that happen throughout the country at various times of the year. It’s a very festive scene with the street food vendors, wonderfully festooned booths with colorful and graphic details standing out in the large procession of food offerings vying for the hungry public’s yen with vendors loudly hawking their delicious bites and delicacies to any visitor that was ready to eat! Even if you’re visiting when there are no events, look out for Japanese food trucks in many urban areas of Japan selling a variety of Yatai for sale.
Tasty Japanese food – try these Yatai now!
One of the most beautiful festivals that I visited in Japan was the fall festival at Takayama, in the Gifu province. The entire riverbank area was packed with very colorful yatai or “street food vendors” offering little bites of regional delicacies from the area. You’ll find street food offered all around Japan, even Tokyo street food or Japanese food trucks around certain venues around the capital worth looking for.
Japanese street food or yatai – Japanese octopus balls or Takoyaki
This yatai vendor below is offering a large assortment of fried goodies including whole octopus, tentacles, fried fish, yakitori and large snails grilled in their large shells. One of the most popular Yatai you will find at any street fare or Japanese food trucks are Takoyaki or Japanese balls made mostly with octopus parts and it really is Onolicious!
The local beef specialty called Hida beef is a high-grade Wagyu style of beef comparable to Kobe style beef. Hida beef are the black-haired Japanese cattle raised in the Gifu district and has beautiful marbling efffects and texture with grade A and B ratings for their quality and flavor. The yatai vendor below sold a lot of the Hida beef (meat kabobs next to right side griller) along with various grilled seafood and yakitori (grilled chicken and meats)
- Try some grilled Taiyaiki seafood, fresh grilled fish or some yakitori chicken
A popular Japanese food are these savory Taiyaki done many ways
Japanese street food or yatai snacks and rice crackers
Probably one of the famous Japanese food sold by vendors are snacking items that are popular take-aways, Japanese people love to constantly snack. Japanese street snacks include a variety of rice crackers, dried fruits, salty seeds like peanuts and pumpkin in spicy flavorings or dried squid, small smoked fishes or various dried seafood. The snacks are all very interesting and flavorful with a variety of spices, soyu, ginger and wasabi based flavorings to give them a different taste.
Japan food culture includes snacking and other take out delicacies
Japanese street food or yatai – Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a regional specialty fast food of the Kansai or Hiroshima region offering a savory pancake style food filled with different meats or seafood and toppings. It can be filled cabbage and vegetables with anything from pork, chicken beef or seafood and topped with an egg or ham like the vendor display above. This all depends on the regional specialty of the area and what is grown or produced locally. Other variants include noodles or udon (yakisoba) and piled high in a layered effect. A local favorite offered with Japanese food trucks, events or Japanese street venues.
Japanese street food or yatai – boiled Oden
The large pot above of boiled oden specialties are typically a winter dish typically consisting of eggs, daikon radish, tofu and different varieties of fish cakes. Different flavorings for the soup include meat broths, soyu sauce, spicy ingredients or miso are used based on regional specialties. Dipping sauces are either served on the side or added to the soup to flavor for individual taste.

A local favorite Taiyaki savory or sweet with fish cake, sausage or bean past in a mayo curry topping
Yatai’s come alive at night time
- Night time festivities at the fall harvest are in full blast and everyone is out walking all the food venues to try all the local specialties or even some weird Japanese food for sale. It’s very colorful and festive with delicious foods and wonderful aromas wafting all along the riverfront areas. young and old are out enjoying the evening and visiting with friends that they see on a regular basis, it’s very nice to witness this type of Japanese comraderie and enjoying each other’s company.
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Night time checking out the vendor stalls selling Japanese street food
Night time food cravings and everyone from school children, families to seniors love to stroll down the river front and sample some of the regional specialties of the area. The yatai stalls are a visual delight in their colorful stalls and delicious looking food.
Strolling the yatai booths at night are very popular
So many yatai to try, these girls are enjoying Japanese street food of crispy chicken wings and gooey fried egg with cod flakes.
If you are exploring Japan, check out these other Japan attractions and places to visit
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There’s a lot of great yatai to sample local delicacies all day and night at the fall harvest festival. Whenever you visit Japan, make sure that you mark some local event that you can visit and try some of the delicious variety of street food. This usually is the only opportunity to try a lot of small bites and regional specialties offered only at these venues, but don’t ask for any tempura for sale, those they want really fresh and not from vendor stalls.
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beautiful pic, maybe i would look for the yatai when i visit japan.
I love Japanese street food and miss it so much, even though Korea’s got quite a bit of good food. It’s just different in both places, and Japanese festivals show me way. The last time I was in Japan for a festival was in Hiroshima around Children’s Day, during a Flower Festival or something. I wasn’t sure of the name but went immediately into the food that was going on around it, and it looked just as you describe it and portray with your awesome photos. It’s easy to go broke if you’re hanging around Japanese festivals because they cook so much good stuff that’s too difficult to avoid.
Thanks for sharing this, Noel. I’m loving going through your older stuff and can’t wait for the next gem that I come across. Take care.
Beautiful pics of Japanese street food. Great to learn some new terminology: yatai anyone? Very informative. Definitely need to visit japan during one of their festivals
What an amazing variety of food. The streets looked like every night has a circus atmosphere.
Great foodie post and photos, Noel. My sardine breakfast looks really unappetizing and boring now.
Thanks for linking up.
This is very educational. I enjoy looking at, and sometimes actually eating, street food, but I often times don’t know what anything is. You seem very well informed. I see many things in this post that I’d like to try sometime.
So are you an adventurous eater? Much of it looks really tasty but I’m a wimp and like to know what I’m eating.Great photos as always.
I am so hungry now! They look delicious and wish I had found a festival like this when visiting Japan.I love the variety and always adore the Japanese presentation.
What a wide variety of foods? And they all look yummy.
Those eggs look like they’ve just been fried.
It is a great idea to visit during festival time to try all the different foods. I will remember to research festivals when planning.
Oh, just commented Noel, and Tweeted the post too … but your Twitter link doesn’t come up with your handle … so you probably don’t know? Just saying 🙂
thanks Johanna, I don’t know how to add the handle to the tweeting edits, thanks so much!
What an incredibly interesting festival Noel. Degustation by our standards! So much choice, and I would have loved all the little tasty bits of this and that 🙂
Wow, I had no idea there were so many types of Japanese street food! A lot looks delicious.
I love Japanese street food! Even though some of it might look a bit strange at first, you know it’s going to be prepared with care.
Great photos… I love Japanese food…
Yum, that all looks amazing! Now I’m hungry!
Oh Lord that makes me hungry!! Cruel, you are so cruel!